Under His Eye: Falling for Stepdaddy

Tripping

As the evening wound down, I made my way to my assigned guest room to lay down, but I had trouble falling asleep.

I just couldn't stop thinking about how tomorrow was the wedding and how that would change my family's life forever. My mom would go from being a lonely widow to the fourth wife of a billionaire.

Surely, Malcolm would ask her to move into his mansion, so would she sell our house? If not, what was to become of it? I couldn't bear the thought of losing the place where I'd grown up, where all of my last few memories of my father happened.

The wedding would also mean that I, too, was going to get sucked into the Kent family, albeit less directly. What if people at school found out my mother was married to Malcolm Kent? Would they assume that I was rich? Would people start asking me for money?

That thought made me laugh because I would never accept a penny from Malcolm. If he wanted to lavish gifts and expensive trips on my mom, that was her business, but I wasn't the kind of person who can be bought off, no matter what the price.

No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that I was okay with the marriage, I just couldn't relax enough to fall asleep, so I got up and decided to get some fresh air. Malcolm's mansion was so huge that I soon got disoriented, walking down a long hallway until I felt the stir of a breeze on my cheek.

I discovered a small set of French doors that led out to a balcony that overlooked the huge expanse of the estate's back lawn and gardens.

Immediately, I felt better as I gazed at the twinkling lights, which mirrored the stars up above me in the sky. Out there so far from the city, the air was completely clear, the twin set of lights mesmerizing me with their breathtaking brilliance.

I was so engrossed by all the lights that when I stepped out to get a better view, I tripped over a decorative plant in a big terracotta pot and went tumbling down the short flight of stairs that led to the grass.

My hand flew out and grasped the railing, which nearly kept me on my feet, but then I lost my balance and went hurtling toward the ground.

Incredibly, at the last minute, I was stopped from braining myself because I had accidentally tumbled onto someone's lap. They had been sitting on a nearby bench hidden from view, and I found myself sprawled across their legs.

Even worse, when I turned my head to see who I had just crashed into, I saw it was none other than Malcolm Kent.

"Well, look who decided to drop by," said Malcolm with a chuckle, not looking angry in the least.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," I said, feeling my face grow hot. "I think I tripped over a planter."

"You know," said Malcolm, resting one hand on my bottom. "The way you're lying here on my lap makes it seem like you want me to give you a spanking."

"Oh, um, no," I said, trying and failing to wriggle free.

"Interesting, eh?" mused Malcolm, his hand moving ever so slightly as he gently caressed my bottom. "Earlier today, I was thinking to myself how much I wanted to spank you."

"What?" I gasped, once again shocked by how bold and direct he was.

"I saw that dress you wore to the rehearsal," said Malcolm. "It truly was obscene how low-cut it was. Don't you know how rude it is to try and outshine the bride on her special day?"

"Listen, um..." I said, once again trying to climb off his lap, but he kept me in place with his arm, causing all kinds of strange and powerful emotions to begin swirling inside of me.

"I wondered if you were trying to tease me," said Malcolm. "To try and flaunt your youth, knowing that so many men value that over all else. I need you to know that won't work on me, Allison."

"Okay," I said, racking my brain on how to extricate myself from the awkward position of being draped over his knees.

"But you're in luck," said Malcolm, giving me just the slightest tap on my butt, which despite it being a soft touch sent a shiver running through me. "I won't officially be your step father until tomorrow, so your discipline will have to wait."

"Yep," I said, finally getting myself upright and on my feet after Malcolm let me go.

Feeling completely flushed all over, I tugged down my top and hoisted up my pajama pants, trying to restore some semblance of dignity. But after tripping over that planter and crashing into Malcolm, there wasn't a whole lot left.

"What were you doing out here, anyway?" said Malcolm, a glint of curiosity in his eyes as he looked over at me.

"Um, I could ask you the same thing," I said, discreetly checking my pajama top to make sure all my bits were properly covered. "I don't know, I guess I just couldn't sleep."

"Ah," said Malcolm, nodding. "Yes, me neither. But I suppose we each have our different reasons."

"Yeah, I suppose we do," I said, cringing inside when I realized how stupid that sounded.

"As for me, I was just thinking about how much I want to make your mother happy," said Malcolm, turning to gaze out over the estate's grounds. "Historically, I haven't had much luck in that department, but I hope this time will be different."

"Yeah, me too," I said. "So, um, how did you and my mom meet?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" said Malcolm with a little chuckle as he turned to face me. "Interesting. Perhaps that's a story for another time, then. But all I can say is that your mother is a very special woman."

"Yeah, she really is," I said, pausing for a moment. "And I'm not just saying that because she's my mother."

"Of course," said Malcolm, giving me such a warm smile that I felt myself tremble a little.

"Anyway, uh, I guess I'll see you at the big event, eh?" I said, turning to go before I made even more of an embarrassment of myself.

"Goodnight, Allison," called out Malcolm as I walked up the steps to the balcony. "And sweet dreams."

"Yeah, uh, you too," I replied, feeling my face grow hot again.

As I made my hasty retreat down the hallway, I chided myself for having acted like such a fool in front of him.

First, I'd gone wandering through his house and gotten lost, and then I'd tripped over that stupid plant pot and crashed right into him. And that whole thing with me lying across his lap like a naughty girl who needed to be spanked was just plain humiliating.

But as I scurried into my room and got under the sheets, I couldn't help but remember the feeling of his hand on my behind, how warm and solid it felt. No one had ever touched me like that before, and so I didn't quite know how to process it.

Part of me was angry that Malcolm had treated me like a little kid, but another part of me had grown quite aroused, which made me feel even more conflicted.

It was completely wrong of me to think of Malcolm as anything more than my mother's new husband. It didn't matter how handsome he was or how debonair he dressed, there could never be a personal connection between us.

Anyway, after the summer was over, I'd be going back to college, so it wasn't like Malcolm and I had to get along or anything. I just needed to treat him politely while I was here and then step back and live my own life.

Except that still didn't answer the question as to why I'd felt a distinct bulge in his crotch when I had been spread out across his lap. Was that the result of him sitting out there, thinking about my mother on the night before their wedding? Or had that been directly related to me?

I didn't know, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to know, especially since my whole body now felt like it was on fire. Tossing caution to the wind, I took off my pajamas and lay there on top of the sheets, praying for a night breeze to come in through the window and cool me down.

It took forever before I finally felt exhaustion steal over me and carry me off to a shallow and fitful sleep, which was tormented by snippets of dreams featuring Malcolm looking at me and saying things that I couldn't quite understand.

That is why I was so groggy the next morning when I felt someone tapping my shoulder, trying to wake me up.

At first, I just mumbled something about wanting to go back to sleep, but when they continued to insist, I opened my eyes, discovering to my horror that it was Jack, Malcolm's son, and he had a huge grin on his face as he ogled my naked body.